Promoting equality in African schools
There are many barriers preventing children from attending secondary school in sub Saharan African countries including high school fees, teacher absenteeism, and school based violence. Drop-out rates are high and learning outcomes are often poor. Sadly, the most marginalized students are often the worst affected. In Zambia for example, advantaged students are 14 times more likely to obtain base level math proficiency than disadvantaged students.
PEAS (Promoting Equality in African Schools) specializes in providing education for the most marginalized children in Uganda and Zambia by building schools in underserved communities, supporting and supervising them to ensure they deliver transformational education for all students. PEAS schools draw staff from the local community and work with them so they become drivers of change. The schools are also designed to be financially self sustainable as well as offering students low fees.
In a COVID-19 world, PEAS responded quickly to ensure children won’t stop learning, even from home in lockdown, by providing learning material via radio, mobile phones and home learning packs.
PEAS started in 2008 with 200 students in one school in Uganda, and has grown to 14,700 students in 32 schools in Uganda and Zambia today. Without PEAS schools, many Sub Saharan children would be unlikely to get a secondary education.
The Jacobs Foundation Board of Trustees recognizes PEAS’ exceptional efforts to drive educational quality through efficient school management and to operate low-cost secondary schools for the most marginalized students in Uganda and Zambia; the Board especially considered PEAS’ response to COVID-19 related challenges.